Electric soldering iron



April 14, 1925. 1,533,230

o. A. COLBY ELECTRIC SOLDERING IRON Filed Nov. 5, 1922 WITNESSES: INVENTOR Ora A Colby.

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Appiioetion filed'itovember t, 1922. serial No, 598,748.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that LOn i A. Comer, a citizen off the Unit/ed States, and a resident or" Irwin, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Electric Soldering irons, of which the following is a spmihcation.

My invention relates to electrical heating devices and heated soldering irons. 7

(inc object of my invention is to provide a. relatively simple, compact, rugged and inexpensive construction for an electricsols deriug iron.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide an electric heating element for a soldering iron that shall embody means for compensating for the heat conducted to the handle shank of the iron.

' in practicing my invention, I provide a tubular metal casing, at one end of which is located a tubular metal member having a reduced outer end, into which is fitted one end of a'metallic handle shank. A suitable heatinsulating handle is swuredfto the otherend of the-tubular handle shank. A. metal member, having a soldering tip at the outer end and an integral extensiom oi relatively small diameter at the inner end, is fitted into the casingat the outer end thereof held in its proper operative position a, tapering pin.

Wit-11in the casing are located a plurality of tubular refractory members provide with a plurality of undercut grooves in the inner surface within which is located a suitable helically-wound resistor member. The resistor member is closely wound in the res, supporting the resistor" the outer end of the casing, and is refractory support. -A refractory insulating rod, having two openings therethrough, is located in the tubular handle shank to permit of adjacent extending the ends of the resistor to suit partly dering fof a heating element employed therewith,

adple terminal members located in the ban- In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, part1 in section and in side elevation, an electric sol== iron embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic reprweiitation particularly to electrioally 4 her 26 comprises-a helically Fig. 3 is a. top plan view of one of the refractory resistor-supporting members,

Fig. 4 1s a view, in side elevation, of an insulating Washer, and

. Fig. 5 1s a View, in lateral section, through a refractory insulating rod taken on the line VV of Fig. 1.

An electric soldering iron, designated generally. by the numeral 11, comprises a tubular metal casing 12 of any suitable or deemed intinal and external dimensions length. A tubular metallic member 13 is suitably secured, at its larger end, to one end of the casing 12 and, at its smaller end, to a metallic tubular handle shank 14. The members may be secured to ether by bra-zing or in any other .suitzible or desired manner.

Upon the other end of mounted a handle 15 of any suitable heatinsulating material. A ferrule 16 is provlded at the inner end of the handle 15 and a suitable screw 17 is employed to secure the ferrule on the end of the handle and the handle on the end of the shank 14.

-'A bit 18, of any suitable or desired outer form has an intennediate part 19 of such dimensions as to fit closely within the casing 12 adjacent to the outer end thereof. A tapering pin 21 extends through suitable openings 1n the casing 12 and through a tapered opening in the intermediate portion 19 to secure the soldering bit 18 in its proper operative position relative to the casing 12. The soldering bit 18 is provided with an integral inner portion 22 of relatively small diameter which extends Within the casing 12.

A plurality of refractory resistor-supporting members 23 are located in abutting relation Within the casing 12 and are sevenally provided with openings or chambers 2d therethrough. The outer diameter of the members 23 is such as to permit of their being located Within the casing 12, and the diameter of the opening 2% is such as to fit closely around the integral extension 22.

A plurality of longitudinally. extending undercut grooves 25 is provided in each of the members 23, resistor member 26 being located therein, which operates normally at a radiant temperature. 'lheresistor mem- Wound Wire oi" the shank 1% is l longitudinally the heating element to these members and anysuitable resistor material and is initially woimd as a s ymetrically extending helical co1 As it is desired that the individual convolutions of the helical coil shall be located relatively close together in that portion of the resistor-s11 porting member 23, which is adjacent to t e'outer end of the casing 12 and the end of the soldering bit and that the adjacent turns of the helical coil located in the other resistor member shall be farther apart, suitable provision is made, during the installation of the helical resistor 26 in the two members 23, to insure such result. This may be done easily by separating manually the, adjacent turns of certain portions of the wound coil, substantially as illustrated in Fi 2 of the drawing, an operation which may e performed by .the operator when placing the resistor in the refractory supports 23.,

A heat-insulatin disk 27, of any suitable refractory materia, is located between the inner end of the member 13 and the adjacent end of the refractory supporting member 23. The disk 27 reduces the amount of heat flowing from the heating element to the handle shank and to the member 13 and also assists in holdin the refractory supporting members 23 tightly within the casing 12.

The ends of the resistor member 26 may be doubled over one or more times and be made lon enough to extend to a suitable terminal evice (not shown) located within the outer end of the handle. of the resistor member 26 .may extend through suitable openings 29 in a tubular refractory electrical insulatin member 31, which is located within the handle shank 14 and extends from the disk 27 to the hereinbefore mentioned terminal member which, as it forms no part of the invention, may be of any suitable or desired construction and is not especially illustrated or described. The leads 28 may extend through suitable openings 32 in the disk 27.

A supply-circuit conductor may be employed to. suitably energize the resistor 26, having its inner end extending through a removable block 34 that engages the outer fi end of the handle 15. A helical spring 35 may be employed to prevent any undue bending or kinking of the supply circuit conductor 33 immediately adjacent the outer end of the handle member.

The amount of heat generated by the heating element located immediately adjacent the handle end of the casing 12 may be made any desired pro rtion of the total amount and is preferab y madesuch as will compensate for the heatlost by conduction from the member 13 and to the handle shankand by radiation from The leads 28' iron, in combination,

the inner end of.

the casing 12. In effect, this provides a heat screen which prevents the flow of heat from the bit end of the device to the handle end thereof, whereby a relatively highertemperature of the soldering bit itself is secured.

'As the resistor wire located in the inner refractory member23 is, in effect, an additional amount of wire connected in seriescircuit relation to that located in the outer support 23, it is necessary to increase the area of cross-section. of the resistor wire to permit a current of the. proper value to traverse the resistor. Hence, a wire of larger area of cross-section is employed, whereby a resistor member is obtained that is relatively more rugged and that has longer life, an important consideration in devices of this character, which are subject to considerable abuse during ordinary operation thereof. While I have illustrated a soldering iron only, it is obvious that my invention may be embodied also in a branding iron or similar device.

Various modifications and changes in detail and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and such modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a soldering iron, in combination, a tubular casing, a tubular refractory resistor-supporting member in said casing having a plurality of longitudinally extending undercut grooves in its inner surface, a resistor member in said grooves, a soldering bit fitting closely within said casing at one end thereof, and having a longitudinally extending integral heat-receiving, portion located in said refractory member and a taper pin'extending through said .casing and sIaid soldering bit.

2. tubular metal casing, a hollow handle shank operatively secured thereto at one end thereof, a hollow interiorly grooved, refractory, resistor-supporting member in said casing, av radiant resistor member in said grooves, a. soldering bit having an outer tapering portion, an intermediate portion tting closely within said casing'at one end thereof and an inner, heat-receiving portion located within said refractory member, a taper pin extending through said casing and said-intermediate portion of the soldering bit and a refractory tube in said handle shank for supporting the terminal wires of said resistor.

3. In an electric soldering or branding an elongated casing, a handle shank for said casing, and a resistor in said casing having embodying means 11 a soldering iron, in combination, a

for preventing the flow of heat from said I nation, an elongated casing, a soldering bit secured to said casing, a handle shank secured to said casing, and a resistor in said casing comprising main and auxiliary sec tions, having high-heat and low-heat capacities respectively, the low heat auxiliary sections being located in said casing adjacent the handle's hank end to prevent the.

flow of heat from said main sections to said handle shank.

5. In an electric soldering iron, in combination, an elongated casing, a soldering bit secured to said casing, a handle shank securedto said casing, and 'a resistor in said casing comprising main and auxiliary sections, having hi h-heat and low-heat capacities respectiv y, the low-heat auxiliary sections being located in said casing adjacent the handle shank end, the main sections serving to heat the soldering hit and the auxiliary sections serving to maintain the temperature of the handle shank end of the casing and of the handle shank at the proper gperative value relatively to the soldering 6. In an electric soldering or branding iron, in combination, a metal casing, a working tip extending from one end of said casing and having an integral portion of reduced area extending into said casing,' a handle shank operatively secured to said casingat the other end thereof, and a resistor member in said casing comprising main and auxiliary sections, the main sec-' tions being coextensive with and adapted to heat the inwardly extending portion-of the tip and theauxiliary portion being effective to provide the heat lost by radiation and conduction from the handle shank end of said casing.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of October, 1922.

ORA A. COLBY. 

